


Forsaken Beginnings

by DarkenedSoul333



Category: Stardew Valley (Video Game)
Genre: M/M, male player angst
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-18
Updated: 2018-12-13
Packaged: 2019-08-25 05:02:07
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 3
Words: 15,862
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16654729
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DarkenedSoul333/pseuds/DarkenedSoul333
Summary: “Beneficial for me?  Or for your precious legacy?” This earned him another slap this time Shade landing onto the ground from the force of it.   He saw this coming as he knew how important a legacy was to his parents.  His father was well-bred in the upper-class world, and his mother was not so much but had enough good traits that his dad found her worthy.  It was always “for the legacy this” or “our legacy will be glorious that” in the household growing up and Shade was sick of it.  He wiped blood that trickled from his lips as he met his dad’s glare.“You ungrateful boy.” His father spat before he pulled Shade up by his shirt.  “Listen to me and listen to me good, Shade Evantalon.” He growled.  “You WILL fix your work ethic.  You WILL learn the business so that way you can and WILL take over this department after me, and even possibly move up further into the company.  And you WILL NOT embarrass this family! Am I understood?” He shoved Shade against a wall making the young man lose his breath.





	1. Escape from the Cycle of Hell

**Author's Note:**

> I do not own Stardew Valley or any of the NPCs associated with it. I do, however, own Shade and his family. This is a M/M and as I write this I am playing the game with what he would do. So Pairings are up in the air as well as any friendships, however, to save the trouble he will NOT be paired with any of the bachelorettes so they are not even an option. I hope you enjoy!

The chorus of the keys typing away filled Shade’s ears. It was just another mundane day working in the Joja corporation. He wished he could be anywhere else but there; however, his parents were insistent that he worked there so he may rise in the ranks like his old man. Amethyst eyes looked away from his screen up to where the managers were watching over the cubicles, their eyes, soulless except for the want of profit. 

Luckily his father was not among the managers. No, he’s too high a level to be seen amongst the common managers. He didn’t understand why his old man wanted him to move up in Joja corp. so bad. He was miserable working here, but Ukedon wouldn’t take no for an answer. Shade sighed softly before returned his gaze to the documentation that he was working on. It was due by the end of the day and he was getting so tired of being here. He hated feeling watched, if it wasn’t the managers, then it was the camera aimed over his desk to look directly at him. Each of those who resided in the cubes was being watched. Shade wasn’t sure what they were expecting their grunt workers to be doing. 

As he continued to work, his attention was once again grabbed as a man in a sharp looking suit and several guards walked down the aisle towards the cubicles behind him. He was not the only one who was curious. They knew what was happening…but they weren’t sure who it was happening to this time. Last time Jason, the man who used to work in the cube behind Shade, was dragged away and never heard from again. The managers said that Jason had been fired, and he surely wasn’t the only one to have been dragged away and never heard from. They all speculated that those that have been approached in this manner have simply been terminated. Though others have the superstition that they are disposed of. 

Not that anyone speculated that out loud within these life-less halls. 

“No…no…no please!” Shade vaguely recognized the voice as Samantha. She was rather new to this hell-hole they called a company. Everyone looked confused by this. From what everyone in the cubicles understood she was a hard worker and managed to get her work done on time. If there were any discrepancies with her work, it was not stated to the public and she never complained about it. 

“Ms. Please do not make this harder than it has to be.” The gentleman in the suit said way too calmly for Shade’s liking and the guards moved to grab Samantha’s arms. 

“What did I do wrong?!” She cried out, her voice strained and tear trails staining her cheeks. 

“That is for you to discuss with your betters.” The man replied coolly. His eyes twinkling a bit which made Shade feel on edge. The younger man looking across the way to Charles, one of the few people who put up with his anti-social/social awkward ass. The man was easily another couple years older than Shade’s twenty-one, with spiked brown hair and hazel eyes that were currently scrunched in worry. 

Charles looked just as on edge as he felt. What was weird about all this was… Everyone knew that he had a high station…but no one except those in the upper tiers of the company knew who he was exactly. With a quick nod of his head the guards dragged Samantha down the empty aisle between the columns of cubicles. Her panicked please and begging as she struggled against their hold could be heard even after the thick plated doors closed behind them. 

Everyone looked at each other for a moment before a loud voice of Seamus their manager could be heard over the intercom. “Show’s over now get back to work!” 

Not wishing to incur any of the head’s wrath everyone returned to the work that they were doing previously. No one wanting to be the next to disappear. Looking over the screen Shade yawned as he typed up the figures for the next month, wishing nothing more that he could just go home and get some sleep. A notification popped up at the screen and curious he clicked it to see an email from his father. Just great… 

_ Shade,  
It has come to my attention that your work has become a bit sub-par. This is inexcusable. Once your shift is over, come over to my office so that way we can discuss how to correct this as soon as possible. This is not a request young man. My office after work. _

_ Ukedon _

_Sales and Inventory Department Head._

Shade groaned as he let his head hit the desk. Great so much for getting some much-needed rest after work. Now he has to deal with his dad’s bullshit too. Charles noticed the slight thud and looked over at Shade, but the younger man did not care at the moment. He was tired. So very tired of everything. 

Noticing this, Charles frowned before continuing his work. Making a mental note to discuss this with Shade later. Luckily enough it was close to lunch and he would have a chance to figure out what was wrong. He had noticed the ravenette’s demeanor change over the course of the year. He knew that Shade was complaining about constant nightmares, though the man refused to talk about them. 

While he and Shade were not friends, they were all they had in this job. No one else would go near Shade, and that was because it’s common knowledge that Shade’s father was one of the higher tiers. They feared the young man. It was something that Charles couldn’t comprehend, however those were thoughts for another time. He had spreadsheets he had to finish, and numbers to crunch.  
The clickity-clack of computer keys continued for another hour or so, before the blessed sound of the rest buzzer echoed through out the room. Sighing happily, as he stretched, Charles looked over at Shade. “Yo, Shade what are you doing for lunch?” He asked as he got up and moved to lean against the entrance to the twenty-one-year old’s cubicle. 

“You got anything in mind?” Shade asked leaning back in his seat. “I just want to get away from this computer…” Charles chuckled before the two began to move out of the room, so they could make their way to the cruddy cafeteria. “You’d think with as much money as these Yahoos are making that they’d update this by now.” Shade muttered making the older male beside him chuckle.

“You know they don’t care about us.” Charles whispered, not sure who would be able to hear. “They still have yet to get rid of Ethan’s body from cubicle 4-D.” The old man had died long ago yet they had yet to remove the skeleton. At least it didn’t smell anymore. 

“This is far too true.” Shade muttered as he got in line and grabbed a sandwich from the min-fridge and a bottle of water. While Charles grabbed a salad which Shade made a face at. “How the hell can you still eat that? Last time you did you had Gastro for easily two weeks.”

“There’s nothing else good to eat.” Charles shrugged. “They don’t give us a long enough lunch to go out and get something else to eat. They want our money back…”

“You’re not wrong…” Shade said not having a good enough argument. When they sat down at one of the tables the two who were sitting there before got up and walked away to another table. Charles sighed and looked from them to Shade whose expression read as though he wasn’t worried by it. Though in truth, despite how much Shade didn’t want it to bother him it did a little bit. He was used to it but that didn’t mean he liked it. 

“So, what’s got you so exhausted?” Charles asked as he took a bite of his salad. 

“Ukedon wants me to meet up with him after work…” Shade glared at his sandwich as though it was its fault, he had to meet his old man. 

“That sucks…” 

“You’re telling me.”

“Have you been sleeping well? You’ve got bad dark circles under your eyes.”

“Wouldn’t that answer your question then?” Shade inquired right back making the other shake his head. 

“Touché, but you also seem highly out of it.”

“I’m just tired of all this bullshit…” Shade whispered, and that was the most he would say on the matter. He wasn’t willing to trust anyone around them not to report him.

“We all are…but unfortunately Joja makes it difficult to get jobs elsewhere…” Charles agreed, before taking a bite of his salad. “Are you going to eat your sandwich or you going to blame it for all your problems?” He chuckled noticing that Shade had yet to take a bite of the food and was still glaring at it. 

“The jury is still out.” Shade said before picking up the meal and took a bite. It was a mediocre sandwich at best but at least it was food that wouldn’t get him sick. He continued to eat knowing if he didn’t eat now then it would be another six hours before he could eat again. He thought back to his nightmares that had been plaguing him for years. How could he not already be used to it? Every time he tried to get himself looked at for it, he was told there was nothing wrong with him. 

They were silent for the rest of lunch which worked out for Shade as he was not a very social person to begin with. With a few minutes left to spare the duo made their way back to the room and back to their cubicles just as the loud buzzer sounded to indicate it was time to get back to work. 

Checking files Shade frowned as he noticed extra work had been sent to him from his dad and he looked up to glare at the camera, knowing that his dad was watching before he set to his work. Muttering under his breath curses, to his old man.  
Time itself moved at a snail’s pace as they continued to work. The slow destruction of everyone’s hopes and ambitions. Every soul present having to resist the urge to cheer as the buzzer echoed indicating that it was time to go home for the night. While they would cheer for that day…they would still have to return the next day and continue this never-ending cycle all over again.  
Getting up from his desk after shutting off his work station, Shade made his way out of the room before turning the opposite direction that the rest of his coworkers were moving. He did not want to do this. At all… But he knew that if he didn’t it’d be worse later. The young man was not in the mood to deal with the older Evantalon more than he had to. 

Footsteps echoed in the empty hallway as he moved towards the elevator at the end. This one led to the higher tier’s offices and not many had been up there that had returned to their cubicles or stations afterwards. The only reason Shade could, was because it was only to his father’s office, and his dad had high hopes for his future within Joja corp. 

Upon reaching Ukedon’s door Shade knocked and stuffed his hands into his pocket. His eye closed as he tried to mentally prepare himself for what ever his old man wanted to talk about. 

Don’t worry… As soon as he’s done talking, I can go home and sleep… just gotta zone out through whatever bull he’s going to spew today…  
“Enter.” Shade took a deep breath before he entered the office. It was sparsely decorated making it look void of any personality. There were no pictures of family, like most offices would, no plant life. There was an elegant modern desk with a PC resting on it, along with a work laptop and a book shelf with many folders and books regarding Joja corp. and business. Sitting at this desk was a man who looked to be in his late 30’s, though Shade knew that he was in his forties. He wore a crisp gray suit that accented pale skin. It was obvious to any who knew Shade’s parents who he got his Amethyst colored eyes from as a pair much like his own looked up at him. Black hair slicked back into a neat pony-tail. 

“You wanted to see me?” Shade asked not bothering to sit down and leaned against a nearby wall. He wanted to be able to make a quick escape if his dad got too angry, or he just got tired of his shit. 

Ukedon looked from his son to the computer before sitting up straighter into the chair. “As the e-mail I have sent you stated, your work has been slipping. This is unacceptable, and we will be rectifying this behavior.” Shade groaned and rolled his eyes, which Ukedon took exception to as he slammed his hands on the desk and stood making the younger man jump. “Do you think this is a joke, young man?” He snapped glaring angrily at Shade. 

If looks could kill, Shade was sure he’d be six feet under by now. Shade flinched away from the older man but returned a glare of his own.  
“You are expected to take over this department after me and you better start taking this seriously!”

“Why do you think I WANT to take your place?” Shade snapped back but quickly realized that this was a terrible mistake as his dad strode over to him and slapped him hard. 

“Who do you think you are?” A snarl ripped from Ukedon as he glared down at Shade. “You are and Evantalon and we do NOT settle for anything less than what we deserve. I have worked my way up this company for our family! I will have no son of mine doing anything else but running this.”

“Yet I’m working as a grunt now…” Shade spat back, he could feel his cheek sting and knew a bruise would appear at some point. 

“This is only a stepping stone, so you can appreciate your place once the time comes.” 

Shade glared up at the taller man, which made Ukedon sighed. “Son… I would not push you for this if it wasn’t something that’d be beneficial for you.”

“Beneficial for me? Or for your precious legacy?” This earned him another slap this time Shade landing onto the ground from the force of it. He saw this coming as he knew how important a legacy was to his parents. His father was well bred in the upper-class world, and his mother was not so much but had enough good traits that his dad found her worthy. It was always “for the legacy this” or “our legacy will be glorious that” in the household growing up and Shade was sick of it. He wiped blood that trickled from his lips as he met his dad’s glare.

“You ungrateful boy.” His father spat before he pulled Shade up by his shirt. “Listen to me and listen to me good, Shade Evantalon.” He growled. “You WILL fix your work ethic. You WILL learn the business so that way you can and WILL take over this department after me, and even possibly move up further into the company. And you WILL NOT embarrass this family! Am I understood?” He shoved Shade against a wall making the young man lose his breath.

“Crystal…” Shade grunted before he was released and the twenty-one-year-old collapsed to the ground with a groan. 

“Get out of my sight.” Ukedon returned to his desk, sat down and continued with his work.  
That was all Shade needed to hear before he quickly moved out of the office and the building. He was not in the mood for any of this today. His mind zoning out as he quickly made his way to the parking garage where his bike was waiting for him. Straddling the seat, he revved it up and made his way home. Moving basically on muscle memory as he was lost in his thoughts as he zipped through traffic.

How dare he dictate what I can and cannot do with my life… He thought angrily as he stopped at a stop light. I am a grown man and he feels he has every right to tell me what I can and cannot do, just because I’m his only child… 

It did not take too long before he reached his apartment. Finally! Parking his bike in his spot he climbed up the stairs wearily and went into his apartment. Making sure to have his doors locked in case his parents wanted to try and visit. His dad it was rare, but it was mainly his mom and for some reason some of her friends who try to be buddy, buddy with him. 

He lost count of how many times these friends of his folks would come over with some food or alcohol wanting to hang with him. It was creepy if he had to be honest. He grabbed a can of soup before pouring the contents in a pot and began to warm it up as before he moved to lay down on a couch. 

KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK  
Who the ever-loving hell would be there at this time. He prayed it wasn’t his mother or any of those other freaks. He already paid his rent, so he knew it wasn’t the landlord. Groaning he debated on whether or not to get up and answer the door. Did he really want to? Not particularly.

KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK

Sighing he got up and opened the door. Cursing the fact that his apartment didn’t have a peephole. However, who stood at the door was not any of his family or their weird group. Instead it was a young, well-dressed man who carried a brief-case with him. “Can I help you?” Shade asked warily. 

“Are you, Mr. Shade Evantalon?” The man inquired curiously. He looked as though he had asked the question a good few times before and it never ended well and he prayed that it was correct this time.

“I am…why do you want to know?” He asked raising an eyebrow. The relief that flooded the other’s features made him even more curious.

“Praise Yoba.” The man smiled. “It is a pleasure to finally meet you, my name is Justin Mayne. I am your late grandfather’s lawyer and there is some business I need to discuss with you.”

“Grandfather?” Shade inquired curiously. “I don’t have any grandparents.”

“My apologies, the man I had represented in life, is Mrs. Mary Evantalon’s father,” Justin explained. “May I come in and discuss with you, your inheritance from him?”  
“Umm…sure…” He said opening the door and allowing the other into his home. Grandfather? He knew his mother didn’t agree with her parents…but that was because she had told him they tried to kidnap him as a child and that they would have harmed him. Why would he have an inheritance from his grandfather? 

“I appreciate it, I have been trying to get into contact with you after you had turned eighteen, however, I have not had much luck in that regard.” Why did Shade get the feeling that his parents had anything to do with that? He sat down and opened up his brief case, pulling out two documents. One in an envelope the other in a manila folder. “Before I give you this, I was instructed to have you read this letter. It is from your grandfather.” 

Shade accepted the envelope and opened it up curiously. The letter had seen some years and it made Shade wonder how long it had been since the older man had passed away. 

**_ Shade,  
I know that you and I have never met during a period that you can remember. However, I am sure my daughter has mentioned me, even though I am sure that what she had to say was less than flattering. I am Mary’s father and your grandfather. My late wife and I had tried to get custody of you from our daughter when you were very little, and just seeing you once we knew we wanted to protect you from Mary… It has been many years since we have tried to get you out of her grasp, both legally, and admittedly one time of an illegal action, which resulted in us never being allowed to see you. It broke our hearts that nothing we tried worked… _ **

Wait, wait, wait…so they did try to kidnap him? Shade re-read that portion of the letter then wondered. His mom had said they were trying to kidnap him to kill him… not to protect him. His mother was easily not that good of a mother, but this made him question a lot.  
**_I did not want to leave this Earth, without gifting you with at least something to show how much my wife and I cared for you. We know our daughter and her…husband… are stubborn and driven individuals and we had worries that they would try to plan out every single detail of your life. We did not wish that for you. Enclosed with my trusted lawyer, Justin, is the deed to my farm, Shadow farm. It is my pride and joy and it is located well outside of Zuzu city in a cozy little town in Stardew Valley. I am sure that over time you would be in dire need of a change. A chance to let you be yourself…I remember days like that myself as I had similar experiences in my youth. This is the perfect place to start your new life. We may not have been able to protect you growing up, but this is the most precious gift that I can give, and I trust that you’ll be able to bring some life back into this old farm and appreciate all that Nature can provide.  
You may not believe this letter, but I pray to Yoba that you read this in good health, and safe. I wish that my wife and I had been able to spend more time with you as a child and see the man that you’ve grown up into today, but unfortunately, we were not. We love you and we will be watching over you no matter which choice that you make._**

__**Love,  
** Grandpa.  
P.S. If Lewis is still alive say hi to the old guy for me, will ya? 

Shade put down the letter and just stared at the lawyer before him shocked. He was able to get out of here…he had a way out. A way to escape from his parent’s stern expectations for his life…to get away from the hell-hole that is Joja corp…

If he was going to do this…he needed to do it as soon as possible without arising suspicion from his parents who he was sure would do all they could to stop him. 

“How long would it take to get things settled with the town, so I can move into the farm?” Shade asked slowly as he tried to plan out things in his head. Sinking back into his couch, as he was unable to sit up anymore. 

Justin smiled happily. “I should be able to complete everything within a few days.” He responded. “I’m sure Mayor Lewis will be rather prompt with making sure the cabin is ready to move in.” He added happily as he passed the deed over to Shade. “Is there anything else that you could use some help with?”  
Shade thought about it. “Could you please help me cancel my lease with this apartment complex silently. I don’t wish my intentions of moving to reach my parents or anyone they are closely associated with. I’ll handle the other stuff though.” Shade looked at the Manila folder in his hand.

“Of course,” Justin smiled. “I will set everything up tomorrow in terms of your apartment and I’ll give Lewis a call tonight.” He smiled as he stood up. “I appreciate you taking the time to see me, I know I had shown up out of nowhere, but I feel good knowing that my client’s final wish was finally met.” 

“I appreciate it. I’ve been needing a new direction in life.” He said smiling softly before leading Justin to the door and after closing and locking it he returned to his soup which was boiling. He had to start packing up what he would need to bring with him. He may donate some stuff to the landlord as an apology. He grabbed some bags and looked around his apartment. He did not have a whole lot of stuff, but He knew what he would need aside from his clothes it would take a couple of boxes. So, he’d also have to figure out how to transfer everything. He didn’t have a car, so he may need to rent one or mail the items to the town. That would probably be his best bet. 

Vans would invoke too much attention and it would be weird for him to have the van. He may have to sell his bike, so he could have money to use when he got there. With a plan in mind, he wondered if Charles would buy his bike. He knew that the man liked it and was tired of taking the bus. That night was the best sleep he had had in a long time. 

The next couple of days passed like a blur. Justin was quite efficient at his job and he was very grateful for that. He had sent an email the night before he departed telling them that he quit from Joja corp and he was grateful to get out of the hat hell-hole company  
He was on a bus heading out of the town, it was near midnight and all he had on him was a backpack with his essentials. Having mailed off his stuff from the apartment just last night. He looked at his wallet, 500 gold left. Well, it was better than nothing. He hopefully wouldn’t have to pay rent in his cabin. He looked out the window, and some of his black hair falling in front of his face as it escaped from his loose ponytail. It was a new beginning that he had been craving for so long. He may not know who his grandpa was but he was grateful that the deceased man hadn’t given up on him.


	2. A New Day a New Life

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> By the time he was done with this, it was easily around 10:30 and he sat down on his steps as he caught his breath. He wasn’t fully out of it energy wise but he did need a break.
> 
> “I think I’ve done enough of that for the day.” He said smiling as he leaned his head back. It might do him some good to bathe really quick and get all this sweat off of him. A thought crossed his mind. Should he even talk to the townsfolk today? Get that out of the way? He groaned softly at the thought of socializing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, I don't own Stardew Valley, Just Shade, and his family. I'm happy that there are people who enjoy the first chapter. I apologize if they are a bit of a slow grind but I enjoy seeing how Lil' shade interacts with others. I want to thank HomesickRobot for the Kudos and wren137 for bookmarking it! I'm curious to see what kind of stuff Shade can get into with everyone.

Shade was unsure of how long he had been riding on the bus. Hours? Days? No, it hadn’t been days…despite the nap that he had taken he knew it was still the same day. He had turned his cell phone off, so grateful that he had gotten off his parent’s plan though he was sure they were trying to blow up his phone wondering where he was. The twenty-one-year-old couldn’t bring himself to care. 

Watching the trees zoom passed them as the bus made its way to the valley, he couldn’t help but have a small smile on his face. He was so relieved to finally be free of his family’s expectations of him. He knew at some point once he had gotten as high as his dad wanted him to be, he was going to be married off to some high ranker’s daughter. Like hell… 

He looked around at the other patrons of the bus, luckily it wasn’t too busy, but it was crowded enough that he didn’t want to fall asleep. Though he was relieved to not see a single familiar face. He wondered how Charles was doing without him there, the older male seemed very glad that Shade had been able to find an escape. He hoped the same for him as well. Charles deserved better than Joja corp. 

Shade was excited but nervous about his new life. He didn’t the first thing about farming. He’d have to figure out a way to learn. He watched some videos before he got on the bus, but he knew the best way he would have to learn how to do this new occupation was trial and error, along with hoping that he didn’t fuck it up too badly. 

There was some snoring that started up a bit behind him and looking back he saw an elderly man snoring. He had gotten on not too long ago, and it seems traveling had already tired him out. Shaking his head, he looked back out of the window wondering how much longer he had before he reached his destination. 

The trip lasted another hour or so before he was jerked from his thoughts as the driver called out, “Pelican Town.” Grabbing his bag, Shade stood and made his way down the aisle and off the bus. Noticing that a woman with red hair was waiting for him with a smile. As he got off the bus, it drove around what appears to be a broken one and drove away. Adjusting the strap on his shoulder he made his way over to the woman who waved. 

“Hello! You must be Shade.” She greeted happily, “I’m Robin, the local carpenter. Mayor Lewis sent me to come get you and show you to your new home! He’s there now finishing things up before you arrived.”

“It’s nice to meet you,” Shade replied he shook her hand. Then he began to wonder if everyone in the town were going to act as happy as she is. He was not used to this sort of thing.

“Your farm is right over here if you’ll follow me.” She motioned for Shade to accompany her before she started to walk down the dirt path toward what looked to be the main road. Shade had a feeling they didn’t have much in the ways of vehicles. “Pelican Town is such a peaceful place, I’m sure you’re going to love it here.” Shade looked at her before looking around. It did seem a lot more…serene than the bustle of the city. 

_Probably a good thing that I sold my bike._ He thought to himself as he followed Robin. 

“How many people live here?” He asked.

“Well, we’re a rather small town, I’d say no more than about 40 of us give or take.” Holy shit. Shade began to wonder what he got himself into moving into a town that small. “But we’re all friendly folk.” Shade nodded, though knowing that Robin couldn’t see it, as a gentle breeze blew past them rustling the leaves. 

“I honestly didn’t think that Farmer Horne had another grandchild, rest in peace. But I only knew about three of them, when his lawyer contacted Mayor Lewis about you receiving your inheritance and moving in, we were all surprised.”

“If I’ve met him, I was very little.” Shade replied, Mom never talked about her side of the family minus telling him the kidnapping attempt to keep them away from him. As they passed the gates to his farm, he looked around in alarm at all of the overgrowths that covered the land. So many trees, grass, stumps, rocks, weeds. The cabin looked rather small and simple and that it could use a little tender loving care, but Shade looked at Robin in surprise.

“This is Shadow Farm,” She said proudly smiling over at Shade before chuckling at his surprised face. “What’s the matter?” She asked placing a hand on her hip, “Sure, it’s a bit overgrown, but there’s some good soil underneath this mess! With a little dedication, you’ll have it cleaned up in no time.”

“How long has it been since anyone’s been here?” Shade asked tearing his eyes away from the land and back to Robin. 

“Been Far too long,” Came a new voice and Shade turned to see an elderly man walking out of the cabin wearing overalls. Those were still a thing? “I’m glad to see you have made it safely, and it is a pleasure to meet you, I am Mayor Lewis.” The elderly man introduced himself happily. 

“It’s nice to meet you as well.” Shade said, already looking forward to going inside and getting some much-needed rest. He has had enough socializing for one day and he just got there.

“Everyone has been asking about you,” Lewis chuckled, “It’s not very often new people move in, so this is a big deal.” He turned his attention back to the building behind him. “So, you’re moving into your grandfather’s old cottage?” Shade nodded. “It’s a good house, very… ‘rustic’.”

Robin laughed, “Rustic? That’s one way to put it.” She said clapping Shade on the shoulder, which made the younger man tense. He was not used to a lot of physical contact. “Crusty would be a more apt description.” 

“Could you please not touch me…” Shade said, “I do not mean to be rude, it’s just I’m not too much of a fan of touching.” 

“Oh! My apologies.” Robin quickly moved her hand from his shoulder which allowed him to relax. “You remind me of my son in that regard.” She smiled in understanding, then noticed Lewis giving her a glare. “Yes, Lewis?”

“Your comment about this cottage was rude.” Lewis chastised before returning his attention to Shade, “Don’t listen to her… She’s trying to make you dissatisfied with the place, so you’ll buy some of her improvements.” It was Robin’s turn to look insulted as she looked away with a huff. At this Shade couldn’t help with a smirk at their interactions. 

“All that aside, you must be exhausted from your journey,” Lewis said merrily. “Go ahead and get some rest. Tomorrow you should explore this wonderful town and introduce yourself, everyone would be so appreciative of that.” Shit…so Shade would have to interact with more people… the twenty-one-year-old mentally groaned at the idea, though hoped that the others wouldn’t be as lively as these two. 

With that, he turned to leave the farm with Robin not far behind. Seeing the box seemed to jog his memory about something and he turned back to look over at Shade again. “Oh, before I forget. If you have anything to sell just place it in this box right here and I’ll be around during the night to collect it.” He bowed his head and began to move.

As Lewis left, Shade remembered something. “Oh yeah, grandpa said to tell you Hi and he called you an old man,” This made Lewis laugh.

“Oh, that sounds like old Maurice.” He gave a sad smile. “I appreciate you telling me this, have a good night.” With that, the two left the new farmer to take a look at his surroundings. 

Shade sighed softly before turning to see his surroundings. Should he go ahead and check his property? Well, the mayor was right, he was exhausted after the trip. Besides he didn’t have any tools to do anything. Deciding to check out the cottage and get some shut-eye seemed to be the best idea for right now and leave exploration for tomorrow. 

With the two gone, he trudged up the steps of his cottage before opening the creaky door. Looking around it seemed as though it was recently cleaned, he should probably thank Lewis for that at some point. He placed his bag on his bed before getting a good look. It had a fireplace that was nice, along with decorations that seemed haunting. Maybe his grandad had a dark taste? He wasn’t sure, however, what troubled him was that there was no bathroom or kitchen…

No bathroom…and no kitchen….

How the hell was he supposed to live off this land when there was no place for him to relieve himself, cook and bathe? Groaning he collapsed on his bed, his hair splaying out under him. This was going to be rather interesting. Speaking of interesting…

He sat up and grabbed his bag before pulling out his phone. He has to message Charles, so the older man knows that he is alive. Turning on the device he is not surprised to see fifty text messages and almost twice as many missed calls. All from his parents, as well as some of their friends.

If He wouldn’t talk to his own parents, what made them think he would talk to them? How the hell did they even…He sighed, of course, his parents would give them his number. The group they interacted with was an odd bunch. He looked around to notice that none of his things had arrived yet. Not too surprising. He should get them by the end of the week then. Returning his gaze to his phone, he moved to the messages he shared with Charles and texted,

_ Made it here safely. Hopefully, they’re not getting on you too hard after I left.  _

Pressing send he decided to look at the other messages. Some were from his mother, with pleads to come back. Others were from his father demanding to know where he was and that he better return home at once. He sighed and deleted all of the messages and voicemails. Considering after he settled in and got all of his stuff, he would shut off his phone completely. 

His phone vibrated, and he looked to see a message from Charles. 

_ I’m glad. The managers and your father are hella pissed right now. They tried asking all of us what we know but most everyone has no idea and I’ve been playing stupid, just saying that you gave me your bike and I didn’t know why. I’ll hold down the fort here and keep them off ya till things settle out. Good luck with your new life! :D _

Shade smiled softly before sending a message in thanks and shut off his phone again before his parents tried to contact him again. He was not in the mood to deal with their shit. Sighing softly, he put his phone down on the bedside table before giving in and falling into a light sleep. 

xHours Laterx

A fluttering and a squeak woke Shade from his slumber and groggily he got up and walked to the window. What would be making such a noise this late at night? Peering out the window his eyes widened a bit as he saw a monster walking around his property along with what looked like slime and a bat fluttering around. The bat he had no issue with but the other two… 

“The fuck…?” He muttered as he peered through the blinds. “Did they move in after the old man passed on?” He began to wonder if he needs to purchase some weapons… especially if he was caught out late at night. Sighing he made sure his windows and door were locked before returning to his bed. It was too late at night for this crap… 

Closing his eyes, he tried to ignore the sounds of the monsters outside moving around. These fuckers better not mess with his crops once he has some planted… He would be so pissed if they did… 

Eventually the sounds from outside lulled Shade into another bout of light sleep and when he next awoke the sun was peaking through the blinds and into his face. Great…he’d have to remember to do something about that… Groaning he got up and looked around to see a box in his room. It wasn’t the one that he had put his stuff into. Who the hell came into his house while he was sleeping?!

Grumbling he got up to take a look at the parcel. This better not be a normal occurrence or there was going to be hell to pay. Opening the box, he was surprised to see roughly fifteen packs of seeds. The note explaining it would be a good start, and various tools from an ax, pickaxe, scythe, hoe, and watering can. He smiled softly at that. Well, it at least saved him from buying his own tools and starter seeds. With his tools and seeds in hand, he went outside deciding it was as good of a time as any to begin his day. 

As he cut away weeds, trees, and stone to make a spot for his first crops he realized something.

He had no nightmares last night…

The prospect nearly made him laugh happily, as he did not want to jinx future nights. He had been so sick of those gruesome nightmares, that he was ecstatic. However, a smile was plastered to his pale face, as he pulled his long hair back into a pony-tail ready to start the day. Maybe it was a good idea to move here after all.

With renewed energy, he grabbed his hoe and tilled the land for the fifteen packs of seeds. It was a good size crop to start out with as any. The sound of the hoe moving the earth and an occasional grunt of effort from Shade mixed into the sounds of nature that surrounded him. Shade planted his seeds before rubbing the sweat off of his brow and grabbing his watering can he looked around for a water source and smiled when he saw the lake a good few yards from him. Making his way over he dipped the can in to collect some of the water and noticed how cool it was. He may have to bathe out here. He considered as he returned to water the crops. 

With the main crop planted he decided to clear out a bit more space and began to chop down some of the nearby trees. Gaining tree seeds, wood, sap. He would need to make a place to put these resources at some point. As he cleared some of the weeds, he realized there some more seeds left in its wake aside some just some fiber. He wondered what would come of it he planted these seeds? 

Looking back at the area he smirked before cutting at it hoping to find some more. It took a few minutes before he had some more of these mixed seeds in hand and returned to where he had planted his parsnips. Using his hoe once more to aid in planting these varied seeds and got them watered.

By the time he was done with this, it was easily around 10:30 and he sat down on his steps as he caught his breath. He wasn’t fully out of it energy wise but he did need a break. 

“I think I’ve done enough of that for the day.” He said smiling as he leaned his head back. It might do him some good to bathe really quick and get all this sweat off of him. A thought crossed his mind. Should he even talk to the townsfolk today? Get that out of the way? He groaned softly at the thought of socializing. 

It would be beneficial…he should get to know some people since this is such a small town. Bath first though, he decided before going inside and grabbing a towel and his toiletries. Deciding he’d wash his hair and body out of the lake in case there were fish in there, and just rinse off with a watering can. That’ll work, going towards the lake he looked around to make sure no one was coming onto his property before he began to strip down to nothing. It was his land anyways…

After folding his dirty clothes off to the side and moving his clean clothes and towel out of the way he slowly slipped into the lake and shivered a bit as the cold water hit him. If he wasn’t awake before he sure was now. It took a moment for his body to adjust to the colder temperatures before he sighed softly and dipped his head under the water to dampen his hair to wash later. 

His earlier decision to use soap and shampoo outside of the lake was shown to be a good one as he felt something move against his foot before quickly swimming away. There was at least a food source for him. He wondered what kinds of fish were around and began to wonder how much it would cost to get a fishing rod. Shrugging it off for later he finished soaking and pulled himself back onto the bank and began the process of washing himself. 

This took a good few minutes as he was trying not to get himself re-dirty from the dirt once again and finally was clean and dressed with his hair wrapped into his towel. He’d have to find a way to do his laundry too. Those poor fish probably saw more than they were bargaining for. With that out of the way he took off the towel and hung it up to dry. 

With his chores for the day done, he decided to rip off this figurative band-aid and go ahead and meet the others who reside here. He wasn’t sure what to expect but might as well. After putting away his tools he began to walk down the road off his property and passed where the bus stop was. Maybe the town was dead ahead? He shrugged a bit before ignoring the bus stop and moving forwards. Luckily for him, he was correct in his assumption. He saw a few houses, a store, a bar (he knew what he was hitting up later) and what looked like a clinic. 

It truly was a small, small town. Well, might as well walk around. During his explorations he met Harvey the town doctor, Sam, Marnie (he was going to see her later and buy some animals once he was more settled), Abigail, Pierre (he definitely knew he was going to be seeing Pierre a lot just to buy seeds and other supplies), Caroline, and Leah. 

They all seemed friendly enough, though he got the feeling with Pierre that the man was a work-a-holic, but nice man overall. Though as he moved southwards a wonderful smelling aroma hit his nose and he noticed the pub he had seen earlier. Deciding to check it out he walked inside to see an older man working behind the counter. 

“Hello there!” The man greeted happily. “You must be the new farmer, I’m Gus. I am the chef and owner of this fine Saloon.” He looked proud of this and Shade had to admit the Saloon had a very homey feel to it.

“It’s nice to meet you, I’m Shade.” Shade greeted in return before his stomach decided to be an asshole and make itself known. Wait…had he eaten at all that day? Shit…

Gus laughed and motioned for to a spot at the bar. “Sounds like you’re hungry, you already start work on that old farm?”

“Yes, got some of the trees, rocks, and weeds cleared then planted some crops.” Shade replied as he sat down.

“Well you need to make sure you eat as well,” Gus chastised good-naturedly. “Wouldn’t do for you to starve yourself, even if it is by accident.” The older man moved towards what Shade could only assume was the kitchen before the man came out with some soup and a grilled cheese sandwich. “Here you go, Shade, consider this a welcome to Pelican Town.” Gus beamed making Shade look up in surprise. In Zuzu, no one would have been willing to do this for a near stranger.

“Are you sure? I have no trouble paying for it.” Shade began. Gus only laughed and nodded. 

“Nonsense, it is your first official day here! Enjoy!” Gus said placing it in front of the younger man before moving to clean up the Saloon. 

“Thank you.” Shade said before looking at the food, he wasn’t expecting anything like this and slowly he picked up the sandwich and dipped it into the soup and took a bite. It was the best thing he had eaten in quite a long time.

“I take it you like it?” Shade turned to Gus and nodded. “I’m glad! I take pride in my cooking and love it when others enjoy it too!” Shade finished eating the meal before asking if he could at least help clean up as a thank you. “I appreciate the offer, however, I’m sure the rest of the town is dying to meet you.” Gus chuckled, “I’m sure I’ll be seeing you around?”

“yeah.” Shade agreed already deciding that he liked Gus. Not just because he gave him free food (though that is definitely a plus), but he seemed to be a good man and shaking his hand he walked out of the saloon before looking around for where else to wander and meet new people. 

He spent the rest of the day in this fashion, having now met, Penny, Alex, George and Evylin (though he’s in debate about whether to call her Granny), Jodi, Vincent, Emily (Shade wondered if she was always this eccentric or not), Gunther and Clint.

As he made his way northward of Clint’s place, he paled when he saw familiar blue and white. There was a Joja mart here?! Shit… He would have to be careful around this place. The last thing he needed was his father to locate him now… He frowned. What was this shit company doing all the way out here? Surely they wouldn’t have good business… would they? He thought back to when he worked at corporate and couldn’t remember a Pelican Town branch…though this area was out of his jurisdiction when he number crunched. 

Taking a deep breath he walked in and saw a man behind customer service, along with Leah, and Sam, and another man he hadn’t met yet, working hard. He began to wonder if they already started losing their souls yet? Sam and Leah seemed okay, yet the other man already seemed to have given up on life. There was one patron shopping at the moment and was introduced to him as Pam. Though going up to the man who seemed to have already had his spirit sucked out by Joja, he got a glare and a beat it. 

Shade looked at his nametag and saw Shane. 

“I’m sorry to have bothered you, I’m Shade. I’m new around here.” He introduced himself. 

“Why are you still talking to me?” Shane asked ignoring the hand and picked up a box. “I’m busy…” With that, he left Shade standing there. Well so much for being nice. Shade put a hand on his hip as he shook his head. Deciding not to hang around there for too long, Shade quickly made his way out of the store and away from reminders of that hell hole. 

_Never going back in there again…_ He thought bitterly, disappointed that the company had made it to this seemingly quiet town. He may have to lay low… Great…

He sighed as he made his way across the bridge. He still had time before he would decide to call it a day, might as well continue on meeting new people. He learned as he explored that Robin and her family lived a bit away from town though near some blocked off caves and had a quick shortcut to his farm. He wasn’t sure if he should be grateful or worried about that. 

Her family seemed nice though Shade had yet to meet this son of hers, apparently, he was in his room a lot. Shade couldn’t blame him to be honest. Walking out of the scientists’ home, he realized there was one man who was homeless here in Pelican Town. He saw a bearded man dressed in what looked like a gown made of yellow leaves. And from the look of things he had been homeless for a while. Shade walked up, “Hi, I’m Shade.”

The man jumped a little, “Oh, a stranger, Hello.” The man greeted. “I’m Linus.” The man looked nervous about talking to him and Shade decided that he didn’t want to make him any more uncomfortable. 

“I’m sorry if I bothered you.” Shade said before walking away. Not wanting to overstay his welcome and he could start to see it getting dark. As he walked home, he found a few plants on the ground. Curious he walked over and picked them up.

“I wonder if I could sell these?” He wondered aloud before deciding to do so. Collecting a leek, a couple horseradish, and a couple daffodils before he made it home. 

It was around 7 when he returned and tossing the items into the box, he realized he needed to make a chest so that way he could easily store his stuff. Luckily, he had watched a video on how to do that just in case, and grabbing his ax went to collect more wood. It took another hour before he smiled at the chest that he had created. Putting the leftover wood, and other resources into it, he stretched. 

“I think I’ve done enough for one day.” He said as he noticed that it was starting to get dark. He didn’t want to deal with the monsters at the moment and entering into his cabin he made sure he locked the door and setting his tools off to the side and kicking off his shoes he collapsed onto his bed exhausted after his first day of his new life. 

X in Zuzu city x 

Ukedon glared at a glass of scotch, as though it had been the cause of all of his troubles. How dare that insolent boy. Where could he have gone? It was though as he disappeared off the face of the earth. He has not been answering his phone and all of their messages have gone straight to voicemail or overall ignored. How dare him…

Mary sighed and looked at her husband before moving over to him and sat beside him. “We’ll find him, my Love.” She said rubbing his shoulders. 

“I thought we taught him better than this. How important it was for our clan…”

“There are somethings he has yet to learn my dear, he is still foolish and young. He’ll come around.”

“I agree he’ll come around whether he wants to or not.” Ukedon snarled before chucking the glass at a nearby wall. The shattering of the glass made all in the room but him shrink back in fear. Before turning his amethyst gaze to a group that huddled in a corner. “I want him found. I don’t care what you have to do to find him… I do not care if you have to drag him back kicking and screaming. I do not care if you have to drug him and bring him back unconscious. I am even giving you permission to beat him into submission, bring my heir to me.” This gave him shocked looks from the group aside from his wife. They were being told to hurt their boss’ heir? How could he expect them to do such a thing?

They nodded before they quickly evacuated the room to escape Ukedon’s wrath, as the man began to pace around the room much like an angry predator whose prey had escaped them. Mary sighed before getting up and walking over to the man. Her brown hair pulled up into a loose bun as she placed a small hand on his shoulder. “Come and sit, my love, this stress is beneath you.” She said in a voice that could soothe the devil himself. Ukedon sighed but nodded. 

“I will make him see reason…” He growled glaring at the lit fire place, “He will not be able to escape…”


	3. What's with the magic?!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “w-what did you do?” He asked before he grew dizzy and fell to the ground. Everything now green in his vision with trees floating around. 
> 
> “Well…that is an interesting reaction…” Rasmodius muttered as he examined Shade curiously. “It shouldn’t have that effect on humans… there’s something more to this boy… but what?” As the wizard studied the boy there was a trait in amethyst eyes that changed enough to make the wizard frown. He would have to look into this… Perhaps this boy was also of magic bloodlines? He moved over to his library as the young man was tripping out on the floor as he began to look into this change and reaction to the potion. It should have only affected folks with magic in their blood in such a fashion.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry if I've been slow updating, I'm an art major and it's getting close to finals, and I need some time to myself as there is so much going on. Once again I do not own Stardew Valley though this game is so good! very addicting. I was considering posting stories of another of my farmers, maybe one or two. Those would also be MxM and I wonder what you would think about that? =) I'm still considering who I'm going to put Shade with, though Sebastian is off the table as I put him with another of my farmers =3. I hope that you enjoy this next chapter and thank you so much to HomesickRobot for the bookmark! And to descriptionQueen, Space Zenny, KingSimin as well as one guest for the Kudos. I appreciate that so much! It warms my heart to know that you enjoy what I'm working on. If this story is too slow pace I am sorry, I'm personally a big fan of rather long stories so I'm trying to work out mine to be that way.

The week passed by rather quickly for Shade, his parsnips were ready for harvesting by the 5th, he saved a couple of them before selling fourteen of them. Turns out one of the wild seeds was a parsnip as well. He wondered how well it would be after that. Waking up on the 7th to the sound of the rain hitting the roof. He looked over to the clock and saw that it was 6 am. He was grateful that his items had arrived before today or else they would have been rained on. Most of his stuff was still in boxes, at some point he’ll have to get his house upgraded, but he knew that would take time. Sitting up he stretched his arms above his head as his back popped a little before he got up to start the day. 

He had started a routine during his week here at Pelican Town. Each morning he got up by six, surprisingly without the help of an alarm clock. Once he was up, he would go check the weather and learned that every Sunday he should check to see if he could learn any new recipes. He was no stranger to cooking, but only had basic skills, now that he was far away from home, he knew he needed to further these skills. 

So, the next day was going to be sunny, great so he’d have to carry around his watering can… what’s the recipe? He changed the channel to what he knew the cooking show was on and watched as the “Queen of Sauce” He thought that was the silliest name, but he still watched regardless. “Huh, it’s been awhile since I’ve had any stir-fry…” He muttered to himself before moving to write down everything in a notebook and set it on his bedside. 

Now fully awake Shade got dressed for the day before making his way outside. Sighing as he looked up as the rain trickled down his face. His hair and clothes clinging to his lithe form as he set to work checking his crops. Two of his crops from the wild seeds was ready to harvest. Curious he kneeled besides the plants and gingerly pulled out a couple of potatoes. He’ll have to figure out a recipe for those. With his small harvest in hand he put the two items into his box before looking around for what to do. He didn’t have to water which was a plus, it gave him more of a chance to explore. He did a little bit of exploration before, but he wondered if there would be any requests for today? 

He had done a couple as he could over the course of the week but there were some that was like really? How the hell would he be able to get some of these now?! But Shade gave it an honest effort. Grabbing a parsnip, he walked out to town and looked at the calendar. He remembered that someone’s birthday was today but for the life of him he couldn’t remember whose it was. Making his way to the billboard in front of Pierre’s shop, he noticed no new requests, and now for birthdays… Oh, Mayor Lewis. He thought about what to give and frowned deeply. He couldn’t think of what to give the older man. He remembered his parsnip and pondered, ignoring the rain soaking him to the bone. 

Maybe the man would appreciate the vegetable? He wondered before making his way to Lewis’ house. It was a stretch, but he had nothing else that he could give and only 784 gold that he needed to save up for additions to his farm. He was planning on building a mill and eventually a coop. Well there was only one way for him to find out. He opened the door and walked into the house. Surprised at how open some of these people were about their houses. Maybe that was a perk of living in such a small town, that they trust everyone who comes into their home. Well maybe Leah and Elliot being the exception to that. 

Returning from his thoughts as Mayor Lewis smiled at him and bade him good morning.

“I don’t have much right now, but here,” Shade said rubbing the back of his neck as he handed Lewis the parsnip. He wasn’t used to this sort of thing and it showed clearly on his face. Lewis looked from the gift to Shade before smiling. 

“Thank you! This is a very thoughtful Birthday present!” Lewis beamed happily as he accepted the present. “Honestly, Shade, I really like this! I can make a fine dish with this!” Shade looked at him shocked. “I know things like this are uncommon in the city, but this is a good first step for you getting along with everyone here.” Lewis patted his shoulder which made Shade tense a bit. “Once you’re part of the community then everyone here will have your back.”

Shade wasn’t sure what to say about that before he nodded dumbfounded. “I appreciate it, this is still a bit of a culture shock.” He admitted. Lewis chuckled. 

“It’s a shame that you barely remember your grandfather, I see a lot of him in you. Which says something cause Mary didn’t have half of his good traits.” Lewis complimented. 

“Thanks,” Shade said awkwardly, “I appreciate that. Well I better be off, enjoy your birthday.” He said before walking out of the other’s house and back out into the rain. Now to worry about Pam’s request. He knows that she goes to the Joja mart…why doesn’t she just pick up some of that piss water there? 

He refused to go into that store again so…where else could he get a Joja cola? He remembered seeing vending machines in the Saloon…maybe there’s some there? He looked at his watch to see it was about 10:44. Great…the Saloon doesn’t open for at least a couple hours. Maybe he could get some fish to sell and earn more gold? It wouldn’t be a bad call, and he needed to catch food for dinner that night. Settling down by the river he pulled out his rod and began to fish. 

He wasn’t sure why but this activity was very relaxing. Despite his wet hair getting into his face and the occasional breeze that would make the young man shiver. He was at peace.   
It took a few hours, but he caught a couple of Shad. One he would be willing to sell the other, he’ll eat for dinner. He wasn’t a huge fan of sea food but right now he couldn’t afford to be picky. With the caught fish put into his bag, that he made a mental note to wash later, he made his way over to the Saloon.

He noticed Sebastian on his way up and noticed he was going to the beach. Huh where was he going? Oh well, at least he wasn’t alone with enjoying being out in the rain, he’ll have to see if Sebastian wants to hang out one rainy afternoon. However, right now he was on a quest. 75 gold may not seem like much but hey money was money. He entered the Saloon and waved to Gus who gave him a hearty smile.

“Well good afternoon, Shade,” He beamed, “Care for something warm to drink to warm yourself. I’m sure you’re freezing as soaked as you are!”

“I’ll take a raincheck on that, Gus,” Shade replied, he got along quite well with the saloon keeper. “I need to find something for a request I’ve got. I’ll be around later to help out if you need it.” Gus chuckled before waving Shade off. 

Smiling he walked over to the vending machine and reluctantly put in…seriously? 75 gold? Sighing he put 75 gold into the machine and as the soda was being vended, he thought that pam would just pay him back the 75 gold. At least there wasn’t much of a loss, despite his money going to Joja…

With the can he walked out of the Saloon and began to think of where Pam could be. Deciding to try her trailer first (since she wasn’t at Gus’) he went to find that she wasn’t there at all… Frowning he looked around town until there was one place left… Oh no…

Moving closer to the building that may as well be hell on earth, he looked through the window to see Pam looking amongst the shelves. Why the ever-loving hell would she shop at Joja mart? Pierre’s was better in his opinion. Granted he may be seriously biased against this slave driving company. He looked over to where the manager was usually occupying to see the man looking at a screen as though lost in thought. He frowned before backing away from the building. He seriously needed to give this to Pam…he wanted his 75 gold back... How long was she going to be in there? 

Maybe he could sneak by without the man seeing him? But he didn’t want to run the risk… He frowned as he tried to decide how he wanted to proceed with this. She didn’t seem like she was going to leave any time soon, he’d be in and out in no time. He took a deep breath before he walked into the mart. Quickly moving past the manager’s desk before the man looked up and moved over to Pam.

“What can I do for ya, Kid?” Pam inquired, and Shade passed her the Joja cola. She beamed over at him. “Thanks a bunch Kid, knew I could count on ya. Here’s what I owe ya.” She passed him the gold and he thanked her before high tailing it towards the exit.

Before he could leave. He was stopped by a voice and he mentally groaned and stopped.

“Good Evening good sir,” He didn’t turn to face the man. “You must be the new farmer in town, my name is Mr. Morris. I am the Store manager of this fine establishment.” Shade gave a snort in mockery of the statement of fine establishment. “You seem to be a smart man; how would you like to become a Joja member? It’s 5000 gold but the savings and perks are well worth it. We have the best prices in town!” Shade had to admit Morris was rather dedicated.

“I am a smart man,” Shade replied “That’s why I will _Never_ be a member of Joja… You couldn’t PAY me enough to be a member of this Yoba forsaken company. The only reason I’m in here is because I had to talk to someone. With that I need to leave so I can get the stink of this place off of me.”

He could hear some muffled chuckles and he walked out the door before Mr. Morris could say anything in return. It was possible that someone who worked for Joja heard that and agreed. Knowing how Joja treated the grunt workers, it was highly possible. He didn’t care as he was once again drenched, not like that ever ended and he realized how was he going to cook dinner? Maybe in the fireplace? It was an idea. He wasn’t sure how well this was going to go. 

Not having anything else to do he trudged his way back to the farm deciding it was best to probably clear out more of the clutter that had overtaken the land. He had taken care of a few trees, weeds, and rocks along with some logs. He continued this way for few hours before he could feel exhaustion hit him like a truck. He had gotten quite a bit of materials, this may be his main chore during rainy days. He didn’t have to worry about overheating with this the falling water cooling him off. Putting the resources into the chest and the extra shad into the bin, he went inside and set his bag on the table before changing out of his soaked clothes and moved to start his fireplace. Hanging up the clothes nearby so they could dry and grabbing something he could use as a spick for the fish. 

With the fire set up he returned to the bag he grabbed one of the Shad’s and began to prep it for cooking, from descaling and getting rid of those pesky organs. Content he went to the spick and placed the slices of fish and moved to go sit on his bed as it cooked. He was trying hard to stay awake though his bed was calling him. He knew that if he had wrapped himself in the blankets that he’d be out like a light.   
He decided to brave checking his phone in case Charles messaged him to warn him. After turning on his phone he saw more messages and calls from the nutjobs who follow his parents and the duo himself. No messages from Charles. It must be going well on the older man’s end. Hopefully the man wasn’t “let go”. While no one knew the fates of those dragged away, they all had a feeling that it wasn’t good…

Turning off the device again he moved to check on the food and flipped it before checking on the clothes. They were dry enough, so he moved so they could situate over a chair. Looking out of window he frowned as he saw some monster appear and start moving around. Not wanting to draw attention to himself, he closed the blinds, so the light wouldn’t draw attention to the fact someone lived in the cabin. 

It took a good little bit for the fish to cook, and he slowly ate it at the table cringing at the taste but knew that he needed something to eat. He’d have to go foraging for some fruit here at some point… Didn’t Pierre’s shop sell saplings? He’d have to save up for some. They seemed to be by season, so he’d have to save up for several different types. 

He had a feeling that by the time that he reached the ability to plant several fruit trees he wouldn’t need them for food. He’d have a steady flow of income by that point. Who knows… but for now he had to persevere. Belly full of food he moved and laid down on his bed after settling the fire for the night. No need to nearly burn down his cabin after a week of living this new life. 

Curling up under the covers he drifted off to sleep. 

The rooster woke him up the next morning making him groan as he got out of bed. He was still getting used to getting up so early in the morning. Though he had to admit he could get used to not having nightmares while he slept. He was enjoying this immensely. 

Getting out of bed he moved to check the weather to find that it would be raining again tomorrow, which was very useful. He could tell he was going to be a huge fan of rainy days around here. It helped around the farm, it was soothing, he smiled softly at that before getting dressed for the day and walking out of his cabin. Seeing how his crops were growing he had them watered before going fishing a bit for food that day, and some extra income. 

With his normal chores done he sat down on the steps before wondering what else he was going to do that day. He wanted to get a break from trying to clear out the trees and such, he knew he’d have to upgrade his tools, so he could deal with the stronger stuff. He thought about it. Did he ever explore the spaces between town and Robin’s place? He remembered going through it briefly before he learned of the shortcut between his farm and the carpenter’s home. Maybe he should go out and explore it today. A relaxing walk would be good for him. With this plan in mind, he stood up and began to walk off the farm and towards town. 

It took a bit to get over to his destination, as he was picking up different items he could forage. Though as he saw the old building, he noticed Mayor Lewis standing in front of the building. A forlorn look on the old man’s face. After a mental debate to see what is wrong, Shade moved over. 

“You okay?” He asked as he moved to stand a bit behind Lewis. Curious why the man looked so sad looking at his building.

“Oh, good morning, Shade,” He said looking over towards the farmer before looking back at the building. “What an eyesore…” He sounded so dejected and Shade moved over to stand next to him. Was this building that important to the man, or was he regretting its existence? “This is the Pelican Town, Community Center…or rather…what’s left of it anyways…” Shade looked at the building. That would make sense, Lewis seemed to be the type to be sentimental. So, he was mourning the loss of this building?

The ruins did show that it would have been a very nice building once it was repaired. Shade remained silent as he was sure that Lewis had more to say about the building. Might as well not ask anything that could possibly be answered in the next couple seconds. “It used to be the pride and joy of the town…always bustling with life…”

“So, what happened to it? I mean if it was the pride and joy why is it so rundown now?” Shade looked over at Lewis. It didn’t make sense that it was such a beloved building and now it was in ruins. He would have thought it would have been taken better care of than this…

“Well…these days the young folk would rather sit in front of the TV than interact with the community,” The older man’s shoulder's sunk a bit at that. Before he walked towards the door and placed a hand gingerly on the spot. He must have had a lot of good memories within the walls of this building. “Joja Corp. has been hounding me to sell them the land so they can turn it into a warehouse…”

WHAT?! 

“Please tell me you aren’t considering it…” Shade spurted out angry at Joja Corp. This land doesn’t seem like a good location for a warehouse, but Joja was a demented company and he knew that the main reason they would have wanted this place was because of its sentimental value to the townsfolk. They were sick and twisted and would do anything to break people’s spirits to have them shop in their dumps.

Lewis lowered his head. “Pelican Town could use the money, but there’s something that’s stopping me from selling it…I guess old timers like me get attached to relics of the past…ah well…” He lowered his hand from the door and looked at Shade with a sad smile. “If anyone else buys a Joja corp membership, I’ll go ahead and sell it.”

“Don’t give in to those bastards…” Shade frowned and moved to stand by Lewis. “Maybe there’s a way to repair it? Bring it back to how it used to be?”

“While I appreciate your spirit, my boy, unfortunately, we do not have the resources to renovate this place…” He clasped his shoulder. “Here why don’t I show you the inside.” He pulled out some keys and opened the door before motioning Shade to walk in. 

The young man was curious, and he walked inside followed by Lewis. The building was in rougher shape than he thought. The floorboards had grass growing from under it in patches. What looked like a fish tank was busted…windows and walls looked worse for wear…

Though a small shack caught both his and Lewis’ attention. Guess this wasn’t normal as Lewis scratched his head at the small building. “Guess Jas and Vincent were playing in here.” Shade doubted it but who knows with those two. Normally he saw them with Penny, was that her name? That sounds about right. He didn’t realize that Lewis had said anything else, however, behind Lewis he noticed a small creature pop into existence that looked like a little green apple. 

What the…??

It waved at him and Shade moved to get a better look, however, this caused Lewis to turn around and the creature disappeared. Was he just imagining that? There’s no way that had just happened… He must be still tired, and his brain is playing tricks on him. But somehow, he had a feeling that this wasn’t some delusion… that something had honestly just appeared and waved at him before disappearing again… 

“What’s the matter?” Lewis asked concern dripping from his voice. “Are you ill?” 

Was he ill? He didn’t feel sick… But there was no way that just happened… He moved to get closer to where he saw the strange creature before and looked around. He didn’t even care about how this looked to Lewis. He knew he saw something…

“I thought I saw something…” Shade answered after a moment. 

“You saw something?” Lewis looked around as well, however having no luck. “Wouldn’t be surprised if some rats made this place their home.” Lewis chuckled which made Shade give him a pointed look. However, his attention was grabbed once more as the same creature appeared behind Lewis and waved at him again. 

“There it is again!” Lewis turned around only for the creature to disappear again. Okay…this was starting to get really annoying… Frowning Lewis moved to stand in front of Shade whose eyes were glued to where the creature was.

“Shade, you’re worrying me…” Shade looked over at the mayor before sighing. The last thing he needed was people thinking he was insane… With that Lewis began to walk out of the center. “Well, I’m going to head home and get some lunch. I’ll leave this unlocked if you want to try catching that rat.”

Shade just nodded before deciding to look around as the mayor walked out. Yeah, he was going to catch a rat…that was no fuckin’ rat… Sighing he began to explore the center. Maybe he had imagined it? Should he go see Harvey? No… He’d probably be sent to the loony bin faster than anything. Walking past a room he noticed another creature very similar to the one he saw before only gold in color disappear and there was a paper in the middle of the room. What was this?

Looking around warily he moved towards the strange paper and looked at it. It was a note…however, he couldn’t read it… It was some weird language… Was this from the weird creatures? Frowning in annoyance he put the note back on the ground muttering that he needed to figure this shit out and he had better stuff to do with his time. 

Maybe he could look at the lake near Robin’s place? There was a bridge, maybe it’s cleared out now? He exited the community center before heading northwards. It takes about a good thirty minutes before he’s standing at the entrance of the mines. Shade had to admit he was nervous about this but after taking a deep breath he walked past the threshold and was surprised to see an older gentleman standing there standing at a ladder leading down. The man obviously looked like he had seen some shit. The eyepatch being a dead give away for this.   
He moved to stand on the other side of the hole and looked down before looking back at the older man. “What’re you looking at?” He asked curiously as he righted himself again.

“Was looking down this old mine shaft…” The man replied without looking at Shade. “No one’s been down there in decades…I’m sure there’s good ore down there but…”

“You think there’s other stuff down there too?” Shade finished curiously. If there’s ore down there that would definitely be useful for stuff around the farm. Though he wasn’t too sure about anything else. He already had monsters on his farm at night…he wasn’t sure about the mine. The man nodded, before stroking his beard in thought. 

“Name’s Marlon, you must be the new farmer that moved to town a week ago,” Marlon said before walking over to him and handing him a rather rough looking sword. “If you plan on going down into those mines, you’re going to need some way to defend yourself.” Shade accepted the sword before looking between Marlon and the shaft. 

“I appreciate it, the name’s Shade.”

“Shade…Interesting name. Well, I run the adventurer’s guild just outside of these mines,” He moved to make his way towards the entrance. “I’ll keep my eye on you, prove your worth and you may just become a member.” Shade looked at the man with a raised eyebrow. Was he being recruited? Without another word, Marlon left leaving Shade standing there by the mine shaft with the sword in his hands. 

“What the hell just happened?” Shade asked to no one but himself as he looked down at the sword. It was rather beat up and had patches of rust. How the hell was he expected to fight anything with this?! Placing the sword through his belt loop he began to descend down into the mine. He was rather curious what was there. 

When he finished descending down the ladder, he looked around to happily see that there were no monsters on this level. All he saw were rocks of various sizes and colors. Grabbing his pickaxe he set to work, breaking rocks as he went. 

Within a few hours, Shade couldn’t keep track, he made his way out of the elevator. Covered in slime and a few bruises, with his bag filled with 2 quartz, a geode, 3 coal, 14 copper, and 31 rocks. He wasn’t expecting that many slimes to be on the floors having killed 6 of them along with a weird crap/rock creature. It may be about time he headed home and got some rest…The mines took a lot out of him. Never during this week had he been so grateful for that shortcut than he was right now. He noticed Linus looking at him worriedly and the young farmer raised a hand in greeting before continuing on to his home. Putting everything into the chest he made his way to the lake and stripped down. Like hell was he going inside covered in slime. 

The cool water making him gasp a bit as he sank into the waters, he began to rinse himself and his clothes off. Hoping that the slime didn’t stain his clothes. Though if they did these would have to be his mining clothes. With the slime finally off of him he relaxed against the bank before getting out and making his way to the cabin. Drying off and getting into some clean clothes before starting his campfire and cooking the fish from earlier to give him something to eat. The fish was small this time, but it was better than nothing at all. 

Content with being clean and partially fed, he put out the fire before hanging his clothes up to dry and laying down to sleep. The exhaustion finally getting to him, as he passed out just as his head hit the pillow. 

The next morning, he woke to the pitter patter of the rain on the roof and on his window. This just solidified that rainy days will definitely be his favorite days. Getting up from bed he moved to the TV to see what the weather would be like for the next day. It was always good to know these things, so he could plan ahead. So, no rain tomorrow according to the news crew. “Great…” He sighed before getting dressed for the day and went outside to check on his crops. 

He didn’t think any of them were ready to harvest but it wouldn’t hurt to check. When he went outside, he realized that he had gotten mail. Who the hell sent him mail? He had gotten some not long after he got here, but not recently… Checking his mailbox, he grabbed the items and went back inside so he could read them without being damaged. The first one gave the young man some odd vibes. Unlike any other letter he had seen up until this point, it was blue and had a mystical feel about it. Did the person have to use special paper? Sighing Shade read the letter.

** My sources tell me that you’ve been poking around the old community center. **

_This isn’t ominous what so ever…_ Shade thought as he read that first line. Was someone stalking him? Who would? … well aside from his parent’s creepy friends…

** Why don’t you come pay me a visit?  **

What?! The letter starts off with that stalkerish crap and then follows up with paying this person a visit?! This person has no tact what-so-ever. Though Shade had to admit this made him curious… 

** My chambers are west of the forest lake, in the stone tower. I may have information concerning your… ‘rat-problem’.  **

How the hell would this person have known about what Lewis referred to…or that Shade saw anything in the community center at all…. But he wanted to know what those things were. He was from the city, he knew about rats, and they didn’t look like chibi apples… Did this strange person even sign it? He looked at the bottom to see,

** -M. Rasmodius, Wizard. **

Wait, wait, wait… This person was claiming to be a wizard? He wasn’t sure how he felt about this. He knew magic existed, but it was such a rare thing… His curiosity was definitely peaked, and he wanted to know more about what he had seen in the ruins. Maybe this person has answers…maybe they’re full of shit. But there couldn’t be any harm in finding out?

Grabbing his sword, just in case, he made his way southwards across his land and towards the forest, the treck didn’t take too long luckily before a stone tower came into view. How come he hadn’t met this person before? Did Lewis or the others even know about them? Reaching the door, he knocked only to see the door open and a voice beckoning him inside. Walking in he was met with a rather strong odor that seemed to be coming from the cauldron off to the side that was bubbling green oozy liquid. To his right, there was a circle drawn onto the ground surrounded by candles…and by the circle was a man with an odd taste in clothes…

“Ah welcome.” The man said opening his eyes from what he had been working on and moved around to stand before Shade. “I am Rasmodius…Seeker of the arcane truths…” He started to list off his titles and Shade gave him an unamused look, “Well…you get the point.” He moved closer to Shade who took a step backward. “And you, Shade, the one whose arrival I have long foreseen.”

“Ummm…okay…It’s nice to meet you…however I’m getting creepy vibes right now…” Shade said wondering how this man knew his name. He hadn’t seen him around town. The man seemed to keep to himself here in the tower.

The wizard chuckled before moving to look at the circle. “While that is not my intention, Young Shade, there is something I wish for you to see. Behold.” Rasmodius raised a hand and within the circle, the creature from the community center appeared in a bubble. 

“What the…?” Shade wondered aloud as he moved towards it, the creature recognized him and began to cheer in its strange language moving its arms up and down. It looked rather uncomfortable in the bubble and Shade looked over at the wizard. “I get it, that’s the creature I saw…I don’t think it likes that bubble too much…wouldn’t you agree?” He said hoping that the odd being would be released.

Rasmodius gave Shade an odd look before releasing the creature who quickly disappeared. Shade was at least grateful for that. “They call themselves the ‘Junimos’…mysterious spirits, these ones. But for some reason, they refuse to talk to me.” 

_I wonder why…_ Shade thought crossing his arms over his chest. The wizard literally captured one into a bubble. He wouldn’t want to talk to him either.

“I do not know why they have decided to move into the community center, but you have no reason to fear them.”

“They look like adorable apples… I’d be surprised if I had to fear them…” Shade retorted as he moved to lean against a wall. “Though there was a strange note left in one of the rooms of the community center. I can’t read it, but maybe these…Junimos left it?”

“There was a note?” Rasmodius asked clearly interested. “Stay here, I will take a look at this note and return back shortly.” With that the wizard disappeared shocking Shade a little bit. 

“What the hell?” Shade looked around warily. Where the hell did the wizard go off to? As he looked around the home the wizard returned walking through the entry way. Startling the young man. “Dude! Don’t startle someone like that!” He snapped as he waited for his chest to calm itself. 

The wizard ignored him before going to the cauldron. “Well, I found the note. Though the language is obscure I was able to decipher it: We the Junimo are happy to aid you. In return we ask for gifts of the valley. If you are one with the forest, then you will see the true nature of this scroll.” 

“aid me? Aid me in what?” Shade asked which resulted in the wizard to shrug. 

“I am not sure…” Rasmodius answered as he looked at the cauldron lost in thought. “Hmmm…one with the forest… what do they mean?” Shade sighed as he leaned against the wall again. Wasn’t the guy supposed to be good with this sort of thing? As the other man was lost in thought a scent seemed to catch his attention before he looked at the cauldron. Why did Shade get a not so good feeling about this? With this look on his face that Shade could only describe as an epiphany he raised an eyebrow while placing a hand on his hip. 

“Come here,” Shade gave him an ‘are you serious’ look. 

“Do I want to know why?” Shade asked not really wanting to go near the cauldron. 

“Stop whining and come here, I think I figured out a way for you to be able to read the note.” Rasmodius rolled his eyes before moving to pull Shade towards the cauldron.

“HEY LET GO!!” Shade struggled against the older man before they stopped at the cauldron and Rasmodius indicated towards the brew.

“My cauldron is bubbling with ingredients from the forest!” The wizard looked excited by this information. “Baby Fern, moss grub, caramel-top toadstool… Can you smell it?!”

“You bet I can…” Shade muttered which resulted in a pointed look from Rasmodius. 

“Here, drink up. Allow the essence of the Forest to permeate you.” Shade looked at him like he was crazy. 

“Excuse me?” He looked at the brew then back to the wizard. “How do I know that this won’t kill me?”

“Don’t be ridiculous, with this you’ll be able to read the notes that the Junimos leave you. For some reason, they chose to contact you. Do not waste this.” Rasmodius said before grabbing a spoon with the brew before forcing it into Shade’s mouth. Keeping the younger man’s mouth closed until he swallowed the brew.

“What the hell is wrong with you?!” Shade cried out after the brew slipped down his throat. Backing away from the wizard. He felt sick to his stomach as it moved through his system and everything started to go green and wave like. “w-what did you do?” He asked before he grew dizzy and fell to the ground. Everything now green in his vision with trees floating around. 

“Well…that is an interesting reaction…” Rasmodius muttered as he examined Shade curiously. “It shouldn’t have that effect on humans… there’s something more to this boy… but what?” As the wizard studied the boy there was a trait in amethyst eyes that changed enough to make the wizard frown. He would have to look into this… Perhaps this boy was also of magic bloodlines? He moved over to his library as the young man was tripping out on the floor as he began to look into this change and reaction to the potion. It should have only affected folks with magic in their blood in such a fashion. 

When Shade came down from the high, he realized he was laying on the floor and he groaned and held his head as he shakily sat up. 

“Good, you’re awake.” Shade glared over at the wizard as the man sat at his table.

“Yeah, no thanks to you!” Shade snarled “What the hell did you do to me?!”

“The potion should not have had that effect on you…You are an interesting one indeed. This could possibly explain why the Junimos chose you.”

“It shouldn’t have made me trip as though I was on an acid trip?” Shade glared, oh if only looks could kill. “What was it supposed to do. You shoved a spoon of this brew into my mouth without knowing how it was going to affect me? You could have killed me!” 

“You would have been fine.” The wizard said raising an eyebrow. “I will be looking into your reaction, it was rather interesting.”

“Screw you…thanks for the information and nearly killing me but I think I’ve had enough for one day…” He quickly left the tower. Luckily it still seemed to be the same day and he rushed from the tower and towards his home. What the hell just happened…he shouldn’t have gone. It was good learning about the odd creature he saw but he didn’t sign up to be high off his ass… 

Once he got back to his cabin, he realized that he had another letter to read and it. Oh, it was from Marlon with an offer to join the adventurer’s guild if he killed 10 slimes. Huh, he’d have to consider that. He looked at Rasmodius’ letter before tearing it up and he threw it into the fireplace to burn later. Sighing he laid back on his bed. He wondered…despite how angry he was about what had just happened…did it work? Or was this all just some sick joke? Getting up he sighed and exited out of his cabin. He may as well go check on the community center.

Let’s see if anything came of this. If these odd spirits are willing to help…would he be able to stick it to Joja? He was willing to see.


End file.
